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$50K reward announced in South Los Angeles hit-and-run

by KPCC Wire Services

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File photo: Los Angeles City Councilmember Jan Perry attends the Holiday Tree Lighting at L.A. LIVE on December 3, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Michael Buckner/Getty Images for L.A. Live

City Councilwoman Jan Perry announced a $50,000 reward today for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the driver who hit and killed a 6-year-old girl before fleeing the scene earlier this week.

Kemberly Arrue was run down about 9:25 p.m. Tuesday in the 600 block of West 49th Place, west of Figueroa Street.

Witnesses said Kemberly was following a ball into the street when she was struck. She was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

"It is not easy for me, because when you wake up you want to, you want to think it's a dream, but when you wake up you need to see the real life, you know, my daughter is not with me," her father, Jose Arrue, said. "... But I know she is with God."

Investigators are looking for a dark older model sports utility vehicle with tinted windows that has front-end damage and possibly damage to the left side-mirror, said Detective Jimmy Render of LAPD's South Traffic Division.

Render said he has received some calls from individuals reporting cars that match the description, but none of the leads have panned out.

"After canvassing the area, we were not able to identify any witness," Render said. "We're going to do some more door-knocks to see if we can come up with any additional information."

Perry said the $50,000 reward "may go a long way to stimulate more activity in this case and causing people to come forward."

"We're all pretty hopeful that should be enough money to cause somebody to step forward," she said.

Anyone with information about the case was urged to call LAPD's South Traffic Division at (213) 485-7336.